The Shark Who Rode a Seahorse (5 page)

The excruciating meal ended, and the elder gestured them to a private receiving room. His two sons were also there, as well as Liam Denning and Garth. Their presence made Byron more at ease, but another werewolf Byron didn’t know was also there. One look at him, and Byron knew this conversation would not go well.

“Mr. Pierce, my son brought to my attention the events that occurred last night,” the elder said. “You know how much I value you and your family, and I deeply regret you passing through such an unpleasant experience.”

Unpleasant experience? The beast inside Byron rose once more.

The elder was treading dangerous ground, and if he didn’t offer Skylar proper respect, he might find himself in a very unpleasant situation himself.

Seemingly guessing Byron’s thoughts, Skylar squeezed his waist.

His voice showed no emotion when he told the elder, “I appreciate your words, Elder Wade. You don’t need to worry. I understand that man’s behavior isn’t representative of the way you lead your pack.”

“Indeed.” The werewolf offered them a small nod and paused.

“While I hate to ask you this, I have to know what exactly happened last night.”

A silent growl emerged in Byron’s throat. Sharks weren’t very vocal creatures. If anything, they were silent hunters, and that went for shark shifters, as well. However, while Byron didn’t have the benefit of a threatening roar, he had something better. The electricity detectors that in his animal counterparts helped detect motion had
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somehow become more developed for him, to the extent that he could actually paralyze prey if he so desired.

Of course, he didn’t want to expose the elder werewolf to that sort of thing. They weren’t in a pissing contest here, and Byron was still a guest in the other man’s home. However, it wouldn’t hurt to point out that, if any of those present made a move that could be interpreted as against Skylar, they would find it very difficult to repeat it.

Skylar leaned closer to him, and Byron realized in awe that the seahorse actually meant to provide comfort to Byron. It was amazing since Skylar himself needed care now.

“There’s not much to tell,” Skylar said. “I needed some air, so I went upstairs in the balcony. A few minutes later, Rick showed up.

He approached me and propositioned me, and when I refused, he tried to take by force what wasn’t willingly given.”

As Skylar finished the phrase, the unknown werewolf snorted.

“Rick would never do something like that. Elder, the seahorse must have enticed him. Everyone knows seahorses are sluts. There’s—”

The man’s vocal cords froze as Byron unleashed his power. “You don’t want to say anything more.” He narrowed his eyes at the man and then turned toward Kevin Wade. “Elder, what is this? Why does Skylar have to be subjected to such slander?”

“I conceded Winston Carver’s demand to hear out the course of the events from Mr. Pierce since Rick is his son.” The elder sounded furious. “It seems I might have made a mistake.”

Winston was starting to grow a little purple with the effort to speak and move. Soren took a step forward and grabbed the wolf’s arm. “Father, with your permission…”

The elder nodded at his son. “Secure him someplace where he won’t cause any trouble.”

Byron released his hold over Winston, and Soren dragged the insulting bastard out of the receiving room. Elder Wade released another sigh. “It seems I must, once again, apologize. I assure you, I
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did not expect him to say something like that in front of you. Please, go on, Mr. Pierce.”

It didn’t miss Byron’s attention that the elder had been aware of Winston’s opinion of Skylar. However, Wade seemed to be doing his best to clarify the situation. He’d actually apologized, something that, as a rule, alphas never did.

Skylar must have known that as well. He nodded and continued from where he left off. “As I was saying, Rick attempted to force himself on me. At that point, Mr. Cunningham here arrived and rescued me. Shortly after, the guards showed up, and from that point on, you’re probably more familiar with what happened than I am.”

“And did you call out for help before?” the elder inquired.

Skylar nodded. “I gather no one was in the area because they would have heard me screaming.”

Byron frowned to himself. Truth be told, that did sound a little suspicious. Someone must have been around since they’d rushed to Rick’s defense once Byron had come in. What had truly happened the night before?

Byron struggled to remember if he’d seen any people on the stairs when he’d went to the upper level to find Skylar. He realized he had followed Skylar’s trail, an indirect route to the balcony. The main staircase that led upstairs could have, and probably had been, still guarded by Wade’s men. They were werewolves. They must have heard the scuffle during Rick’s attack on Skylar.

“I see,” the elder wolf said. “This is more serious than I even expected.”

“You believe me?” Skylar sounded surprised.

“Of course I do.” Wade smiled softly. “You have no reason to lie or cause mischief at a party you yourself fought so much to organize.

Furthermore, you helped Brody with finding my first two nephews and aided in punishing the people guilty of Carlie Denning’s murder.

You’re like family now, Skylar. Surely, you know that.”

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“I don’t know what to say.” Skylar’s voice trembled with emotion. “Thank you, Elder.”

“No, Skylar. Thank you, for everything you’ve done.” Wade turned toward Byron. “I assure you, Mr. Cunningham, this will not go unpunished. Rick and those who aided him in this will be severely reprimanded.”

“What do you intend, Elder?” Byron inquired, keeping his voice level, stern and respectful.

“Normally, this type of offense would warrant an exile from the pack. However, given the situation, I cannot risk having Rick on the loose while the situation is still so volatile. As you well know, Mr.

Cunningham, the mating of my two sons and my own has brought me to believe that cooperation can exist between shape-shifters on different levels of the food chain. But finding this delicate balance is an astronomically difficult task. “Many of our people are confused, but they trust me and my sons to do what’s right. However, there are individuals like Rick who throw a wrench in our plans for cooperation. Rick has never been a particularly cooperative member of the pack, so in a way, I can’t say I’m surprised. This discontent has been growing ever since Brody mated Carson. Even so, I’d never have expected him, or any other of my people, to go quite so far.”

The elder gave Byron a penetrating look. “And if I’m telling you this, Mr. Cunningham, it is because I will also need your full support on this. I gather from my sons that you are a very powerful man, and the werewolves need all the help they can get if we’re going to create a new state of affairs for shape-shifters.”

“I agree,” Byron said, unsurprised. After all, he’d been invited to this celebration for a reason, and it wasn’t just because of the assistance he’d provided for the werewolves in the past. “Indeed, it will not be easy, but from my part, you can expect full cooperation.

As long as you keep your pack on a leash, that is.”

He’d have liked to say more, but Skylar was there, and the seahorse would not appreciate any threats made to their host. Clearing
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his throat, he changed the subject. “We will be leaving in a couple of hours, but keep us posted regarding what was discussed here.”

“Actually,” Skylar piped up, “I can’t leave. It’s my duty to stay and lead all the guests out. I helped organize the party, remember?”

There was a hint of irritation in Skylar’s voice, something Byron hadn’t heard before. He realized he might have made a serious mistake in assuming Skylar would simply follow his lead in everything. Skylar had a mind of his own, and Byron had gone all caveman and practically made a decision for him, exactly at this particular moment when Skylar needed to feel in control again. Crap, Byron felt like an idiot.

“Indeed. I apologize. It slipped my mind.”

Skylar seemed a bit pacified, and he quieted down in Byron’s embrace. “Now, Elder Wade, since we’re over the unpleasantness, let me congratulate you again on your mating. And where is your lovely mate this morning? I didn’t see her a breakfast.”

The tension dissipated from the room, and a smile appeared on the elder’s face. “She slept in.”

Even Byron, who didn’t know Elder Wade all that well, could tell there was something behind that little smile. Brody barked out a laugh, and Liam smirked. Skylar seemed to figure out what was going on faster than Byron.

“Oh. Then another set of congratulations is in order.”

The elder now looked a bit uncomfortable. “Thank you, but we’re not sure if she’s expecting or not yet.” He lowered his voice. “And of course, it’s not common knowledge, since up to this point, we actually thought inter-species breeding was impossible.”

“May I advise you visiting our clinic once you are certain?”

Skylar suggested gently. “We will be able to offer Annabelle the best of care.”

“Thank you very much, Skylar. I appreciate the offer.”

As the conversation continued, Byron felt a little lost. He realized that beyond being a seahorse, Skylar was actually quite a social
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butterfly. He knew how to talk to people, how to put them at ease and make them reveal things they wouldn’t normally share with people outside their family. It was a tricky skill to possess, and a dangerous one, or at least it would have been if it belonged to someone else. But Byron already knew Skylar wasn’t that type of person. What unsettled him a bit was the renewed realization of just how different they were.

Could he give Skylar the relationship and stability the seahorse undoubtedly wanted? He hated the fact that he even doubted it, but as he stood there, watching, he couldn’t help but wonder if he could be the mate Skylar needed.

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Skylar checked the form once again as he typed in the name of the happy couple requesting an adoption. Normally, this sort of thing went through his secretary, but it seemed a mistake had snuck in somewhere along the way, making the already complicated process even more difficult.

Skylar knew how important it was to match the right child with the right family. Some couples who came here thought they were ready to raise a baby who didn’t come from their own loins, but they actually weren’t. On occasion, there were those who applied in advance, without really feeling prepared for the responsibility of having a child. However, they could prove to be the best parents in the world, if given the chance. Brody and Carson Williams-Wade were a clear example of this fact.

But it was Skylar’s job to decide what couples from those who visited the agency got to fulfill their wish. Often, it felt too much like playing God. After all, who was he to judge one person was better than the other? It was not easy, but someone had to do it, and, with time, Skylar had gotten very good at it.

On the other hand, it was also very time consuming. Up until this week, Skylar hadn’t realized just how much time he spent at the agency. After the event hosted by the elder werewolf ended, Skylar and Byron returned to LA. Skylar had hoped that, once here, they would have the opportunity to explore their relationship a bit more, but as it turned out, work had piled up in his absence, and it had taken
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him a good couple of days to get back on track. His parents had supervised the agency in his absence, but Skylar wanted to deal with some of the issues personally. Because of that, even when he’d returned to his regular schedule, he and Byron had very little time to spend with each other.

Most of the time, Byron seemed just as busy, but the shark had made several attempts to ask Skylar out. Every time, a last minute emergency popped up, and Skylar had been forced to cancel. Skylar feared Byron would get fed up with him and decide Skylar wasn’t worth the effort, after all.

It was now almost eight in the evening, and Byron hadn’t called all day. Skylar stole a peek at the clock on his computer screen and bit his lip. Should he take the initiative and call, or wait to see if Byron changed his mind? God, he didn’t know.

He was so lost in thoughts he jumped when he heard his secretary’s voice. “No, you can’t go in there.”

The familiar feeling of Byron’s strong presence invaded his mind even before the shark opened the door. He didn’t know how he could have even missed it. He was always aware of Byron, and the shark never ceased to be in his thoughts.

Skylar waved his secretary’s concern away and gave Byron an anxious look. He didn’t know how to read Byron’s expression. The shark’s dark eyes gave absolutely nothing away.

“Hello, Skylar,” he said. “Are you done with your workday?”

“I h–have a few more things to wrap up,” Skylar managed to stammer. His heart beat faster and his breath was already starting to become labored, simply because of Byron’s eyes on him.

“I think they can wait until tomorrow,” Byron answered. “Right?”

Truth be told, completing the documents could, indeed, wait. A couple more hours meant nothing in the long run. And still, Skylar hesitated.

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He didn’t know what was wrong with him, why he was even trying to choose work over Byron. He’d wanted Byron for so long and now, he was avoiding the other man. Why?

“Byron… I… I don’t understand.”

Byron’s expression softened. “I know, sweetheart. Don’t worry.

Come on. You need a break from all this.”

As if through a dream, Skylar saved his progress in the document he’d been working on and shut down his computer. Byron led him out of the room, a gentle hand on the small of his back. Skylar’s secretary seemed somewhat concerned, so Skylar told her something appropriately noncommittal to soothe her worry.